Republican Leaders Say They’ve Spoken With Hospitalized McConnell

Republican allies said they spoke with Sen. Mitch McConnell by phone on Tuesday, as a mysterious hospitalization has kept him away from the public eye for weeks and fueled rumors about the 84-year-old’s health.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and conservative commentator Scott Jennings each separately said Tuesday that they had lengthy conversations with McConnell, a Kentucky Republican whose office says he has been recovering in a hospital since June 14 from an undisclosed ailment.

Multiple media outlets have reported details from a police scanner recording that revealed paramedics responded on June 14 to a cardiac arrest and performed CPR for an individual at an address connected to McConnell.

McConnell’s office has said in statements that the senator “continues to improve” without divulging details about what exactly he is recovering from.

The vacuum of information has spurred conspiracy theories, including one Monday from far-right activist Laura Loomer, who is close to President Donald Trump, that claimed McConnell was “brain dead” and not returning to the Senate. McConnell’s colleagues were quick to rebut such rumors.

A spokesperson for Thune said he spoke with McConnell by phone on Monday and Tuesday. The two had a “lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security,” the spokesperson said. Barrasso’s office said he spoke with McConnell for about 20 minutes on Tuesday regarding embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner and the recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance.

Jennings, a cable news commentator, said he also spoke with McConnell “for just shy of 20 minutes” on Tuesday morning about Iran, Ukraine, Platner, the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library and Senate history.

“I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible,” Jennings wrote on X.

McConnell, the former majority leader and chair of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense, has remained absent amid discussions on further funding the war in Iran. McConnell missed a crucial vote on a war powers resolution in late June.

McConnell has experienced other health incidents in the past. He was hospitalized for eight days in February for flu-like symptoms and in 2023, appeared to freeze mid-speech on two different occasions.

McConnell has also struggled with mobility issues due to a childhood bout with polio, resulting in occasional falls and wheelchair usage in recent years.

He announced last year that he would not seek re-election for an eighth time in 2026.